They put out fires, chase crooks and occasionally put a bandage on an accident victim.

But on Monday, the city of Ironton's finest got the chance to perform a duty that is not usually part of their job.

Police officers and firefighters rescued a 13-year-old girl from near waist-deep mud. The incident happened in a wet area on Deep Cut Road.

"She said she had been looking for frogs' eggs for a science project, and she put one foot down and thought the ground was hard, and then jumped in and the mud went way up her thigh," police Sgt. Anthony Forest said.

At first, Forest and police Capt. Dan Johnson tried pulling the child out of the mud, but the muck acted as a vacuum, providing resistance to their efforts. Officers then tried digging her out, before calling the fire department for help.

Fire Capt. Mike Hasenauer, Lt.

Jeff Joseph and firefighters Louis Sheridan and Joe Marshall spent 10-15 minutes using shovels and their hands to free the child from the mud.

"She wasn't hurt," Forest said. "She was just cold and wet."

SEOEMS was called to treat the child at the scene.